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North Jersey High School Sports Awards Show 2024 honors top athletes

VaselineJune 29, 2024

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North Jersey High School Sports Awards Show 2024 honors top athletes

Staff Report
| NorthJersey.com

ENGLEWOOD −The 2024 North Jersey High School Sports Awards, presented by Englewood Health, honored more than 300 of the top area high school athletes from over 30 sports Friday night at Bergen PAC.

The show was produced with the support of Bogota Savings Bank, Boundless Adventures, Westchester Soccer Club – USL League One, USA TODAY Sports and Golfweek. The show was free for all attendees thanks to a sponsorship provided by Englewood Health.

Westwood football player RJ Ussher was presented with the Courage Award on Friday night. Ussher was a leader on the Cardinals defense on the way to a Group 2 state title. He did so playing with the heavy burden of losing his father, Ron, close family friend Will Borgersen and his aunt Jackie during a two-year span.

Ussher has three Cardinal bird tattoos on his shoulder to keep his loved ones forever close to him. His tenacity and courage inspired the Westwood community.

New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito, who grew up in Cedar Grove and starred in high school at Don Bosco, was the celebrity guest at the event. He was interviewed on stage by Giants writer Art Stapleton of The Record and NorthJersey.com.

In all, 44 awards were handed out Friday night, including:

Boys Athlete of the Year, presented by Englewood Health: Dylan Harper, Don Bosco

Harper is a once-in-a-generation talent in the Bergen/Passaic county area, the best we’ve seen in the 21st century. His strength is his versatility – the 6-foot-6 guard could play all five positions at Don Bosco. He was ranked the No. 2 senior in the nation and selected for the prestigious McDonald’s All-American Game, where he was his team’s leading scorer and MVP. He is the first Rutgers signee to earn McDonald’s MVP. Harper is part of the greatest recruiting class in Scarlets Knights’ history, and he and his incoming class could change the face of college basketball in the Garden State.

Girls Athlete of the Year, presented by Englewood Health: Layla Giordano, Old Tappan

Giordano was a big part of the volleyball team that reached the Bergen County final, and was the leading scorer on basketball team that reached the sectional final. In track and field, she rewrote the record book, finishing her career as a three-time champion at the State Meet of Champions and the Bergen County record holder in both the shot and discus. She set meet records in the discus in practically every meet she competed in and went undefeated this spring, winning the Penn Relays title and her third straight Group 3 state title with a top throw of 172-2, second best in state history. Giordano will throw for Princeton University next year.

Coach of the Year: Beth Powell, Demarest

When Beth Powell became coach of the Demarest girls volleyball program in 1989, the team struggled to a 1-18 finish. That was its last losing record for the next 35 years. Powell led the Norsewomen to their first Bergen County and NJSIAA championships in 1996 and oversaw an 83-match win streak from 2000-03. She finished with a record of 709-172 at Demarest, winning nine county championships and 12 state titles – including the 2023 Group 2 crown against Governor Livingston, 25-17, 25-21, in her final match before retirement.

Boys Team of the Year: Ramsey Soccer

Ramsey boys soccer enjoyed its greatest season in program history. The Rams finished as the only unbeaten team in the state and just the sixth team ever from Bergen or Passaic to sweep league, county and state titles. They capped the season with five straight shutout wins.

Girls Team of the Year: Holy Angels Golf

Holy Angels has been New Jersey’s premier golf program over the past two years, and this group is among the state’s all-time best. The Angels have swept every major tournament, winning the last two Big North Conference, Bergen County, North sectional and State championships. The Angels won both NJSIAA titles by more than 10 strokes. Juniors Inha Jun, Angelina Kim, and Sharanya Agarwal are three-year starters. Sophomore Olivia Lee and freshmen Eleanor Lim and Emma Bang also made a big impact this season. With everyone back next year, Holy Angels can again be New Jersey’s finest.

Lifetime Achievement Award: Charlie McGill

Charlie McGill is closing in on 70 years working for The Record, most notably as the illustrator behind its “Athlete of the Week” feature that has been in existence since 1954.

McGill, who graduated from what is now Manhattan’s School of Visual Arts, created the “Athlete of the Week” feature as a young artist at The Record. He believed he could draw something more interesting than the photos that ran in the paper.

McGill been doing it ever since, drawing the faces of over 4,000 athletes. The weekly project takes him about five to 10 hours to complete.

School Spirit Award: Immaculate Heart Academy

This award was voted online by the community and brings with it a $1,000 donation to the school’s athletic department.

Charlie McGill Scholarship Awards, presented by The Record: Glory Moon and Kailey Maskerines

Defensive Football Player of the Year, presented by Bogota Savings Bank: Kaj Sanders, Bergen Catholic

Sanders was one of North Jersey’s top two-way players. At running back, he ran for more than 1,000 yards and 17 scores for Bergen Catholic, helping the Crusaders win their third straight Non-Public A state title and finish No. 1 in New Jersey. On defense, he was the player that teams didn’t throw against, and when they did, he made 35 tackles and broke up three passes. He is staying home in New Jersey, committed to play at Rutgers.

Offensive Football Player of the Year, presented by Bogota Savings Bank: Trashon Dye, Passaic Tech

Dye led Passaic Tech to a second straight Group 5 state championship game. On offense, the senior ran for more than 2,000 yards and 24 touchdowns. On defense, he led North Jersey with 141 tackles. He was an All-North Jersey and All-New Jersey first-team selection at running back. His twin brother Travon was a star linebacker for the Bulldogs.

Boys Soccer Player of the Year, presented by Westchester Soccer Club – USL League One: Patrick Weir, Ramsey

Weir led Ramsey to an unbeaten season. The senior centerback picked up a team-high 12 goals while anchoring the top defense in North Jersey. He will continue his career next season at the University of Pennsylvania.

Girls Soccer Player of the Year, presented by Westchester Soccer Club – USL League One: Isabella Winn, Ridgewood

Winn guided Ridgewood to a third straight sectional title. The senior midfielder was named to the All-American team after finishing with 20 goals and seven assists. Winn signed to play with national power UCLA.

Boys Basketball: Dylan Harper, Don Bosco

Harper is in the starting five of greatest players to come out of Bergen and Passaic counties. He’s a consensus first-team All-American who led Don Bosco to two Bergen County titles and punctuated his career with a state title and school-record 1,648 points. He comes from a basketball family. His dad, Ron, played 15 seasons in the NBA. His mom, Maria, played high school and college ball and is a veteran Don Bosco assistant. His brother, Ronald, also won county and state titles at Bosco and reached the NBA. Dylan will be following in his brother’s footsteps and continuing at Rutgers.

Girls Basketball: Allie Shenloogian, Park Ridge

Shenloogian, a junior guard, tallied more points than anyone in North Jersey this season, adding 686 to a career total that has reached 1,676. Yet she was more than just a pure scorer – Shenloogian raised her teammates’ level of play, helping the Owls win their first sectional title in program history. Besides her scoring average of 23.6, she also led Park Ridge in rebounds and steals, and she finished second on the team in assists.

Boys Bowling: Max Meun, Saint Mary

Heun raised his average at least 10 points in each of his four varsity seasons, going from 170 as a freshman to 209 this winter. His high game this year was 277, and he led the Gaels to the state-sectional semifinals. Individually, he took third in Bergen County and had the third-best finish among North Jersey bowlers at the NJSIAA individual finals, placing in the Top 50.

Girls Bowling: Kayla McManus, Bergen Tech

McManus, a sophomore from Saddle Brook, recorded both the high game and high series in qualifying at the Bergen County individual tournament. That earned her the top seed, and she went on to secure the title with a 194-164 win in the stepladder final. For the season, she was one of two North Jersey bowlers to average better than 179 overall, and she had 35 games of 170-plus, second most in the Big North Conference.

Hockey: Brent Beswick, Northern Highlands

Beswick led the top offense in the Big North Conference with 37 goals and 48 assists, giving the junior career highs in both categories. Beswick registered at least one point in 23 of the 26 games played by the Highlanders. On the road to the second state title in three years for Northern Highlands, Beswick had 22 points across five playoff games, including a goal and two assists in the Public state final at Prudential Center. Beswick had 19 multi-point games in his junior season with the Highlanders winning 17 of those games.

Boys Indoor Track: Jaden Marchan, Leonia

It’s hard to imagine a much better season than the one Marchan enjoyed in his only winter season. The Leonia senior set the New Jersey state record in the 600 meters, lowered his Bergen County record three times in the 400 and won the NJIC, state sectionals, Bergen County, State Group 2 and State Meet of Champions seemingly effortlessly. He earned All-American honors when he finished third at the New Balance Nationals in Boston and handed indoor national record holder Quincy Wilson of Bullis (Maryland) his only defeat. Marchan will run at Georgetown.

Girls Indoor Track: Abigail Dennis, Old Tappan

Dennis spent the first month of her senior season recovering from a shoulder fracture suffered in training but little slowed her down. Dennis won her second consecutive Big North National, Bergen County, state sectional and state Group 3 55 hurdles titles, and took fifth at the Meet of Champions before snapping back with a fifth-place finish at the Nike Indoor Nationals at the Armory in the 60 meter hurdles, earning All-American honors. She ran the second fastest 55 hurdles time in Bergen history and ranks 12th all-time in New Jersey. She’ll run at Harvard.

Boys Swimming: Doyee Kim, Bergen Catholic

Kim led Bergen Catholic to league, county and sectional titles. The senior finished second in the state in the breaststroke and won four races at the Bergen Meet of Champions. He has committed to swim for Army.

Girls Swimming: Sarah Rodrigues, Wayne Valley

Rodrigues captured a state title in the backstroke. The Wayne Valley junior went unbeaten in dual meets and broke county records in the 100 and 200 freestyle. She plans to swim for Texas.

Boys Wrestling: Ryan Burton, St. Joseph

Burton won a state title in Atlantic City. The junior went 37-1 and ranked second in the country at his weight class. The Virginia Tech commit added county, district and region gold along the way.

Girls Wrestling: Leeana Mercado, Lodi

Mercado had a storybook senior season. She became the first wrestler in Lodi history to win two state titles and tied the record for the most by a North Jersey girl. This year, Mercado put together a 21-1 record.

Baseball: William Kirk, Ramsey

The senior pitcher-outfielder-first baseman is headed to Virginia with an impressive résumé. This spring, he pitched to a 0.44 earned-run average and struck out 62 batters in just 32 innings. Kirk led the Ramsey offense in hits, homers and runs batted in, going deep nine times while batting .494. The lefty wore the same No. 13 that his father did with the Rams, and he pitched to a career record of 22-2 with 272 strikeouts.

Boys Field, presented by Boundless Adventures: Benji Shue, Bergen Catholic

Shue has broken the Bergen County discus record, which stood from 1980-2022, seven different times, most recently by winning his first State Meet of Champions title with a throw of 205-4, more than 16 feet further than the previous record thrown by two-time Olympian Mike Buncic of Fair Lawn. He also broke the 39-year-old Bergen shot put record by throwing 69-2 to win his third straight Non-Public A title. He has already committed to throw at the University of Texas.

Girls Field, presented by Boundless Adventures: Layla Giordano, Old Tappan

Giordano has broken the Bergen County girls discus record six times and has the top 18 performances in Bergen County history. She’s taken the mark from 144 feet to 172-2 while winning her last 18 competitions in the event, including two State Meet of Champions titles. A three-time Group 3 state champion in the discus, she is also a two-time champion in the shot put and became the first girl in North Jersey history to throw 50 feet in the shot put when she won the Bergen Meet of Champions. She’ll throw next year at Princeton University.

Boys Golf, presented by Golfweek: Michael Asselta, St. Joseph

Asselta started fast and finished strong to lead the Green Knights to No. 1 in the final North Jersey golf rankings. He won three 18-hole tournaments, including the Arcola Invitational. He also won the season-opening Garden State Cup in South Jersey, and the Blue Devil Invitational in Central Jersey. He tied for ninth at the Tournament of Champions and rallied to finish second at the season-ending Bergen County Individual Championship. During the season, Asselta had a hole-in-one.

Girls Golf, presented by Golfweek: Inha Jun, Holy Angels

Jun was the driving force behind Holy Angels winning every major tournament and maintaining its status as New Jersey’s No. 1 girls golf program. She won the Big North Conference Championship and the North Sectional title. She finished fourth at the Bergen County Championship. Holy Angels repeated as titlist in all three tournaments. The Angels capped their season by repeating as titlist at the State Championship, and Jun tied for 10th at the Tournament of Champions. She was equally dominant in 9-hole matches and led North Jersey in scoring average at 36.3.

Boys Lacrosse: Colton Carfello, Don Bosco

Carfello helped lead Don Bosco to a Triple Crown. The senior goalie held opponents under six goals a game and became the first player to win four Bergen County titles. He will continue his career at Saint Joseph’s.

Girls Lacrosse: MC Salter, Saddle River Day

Salter finished her career as one of the all-time save leaders in North Jersey. The Saddle River Day senior ranked No. 1 in Bergen County in saves for the second straight year and helped the Rebels advance to the state semifinals. She has committed to play at Siena.

Softball: Gabby Shadek, Immaculate Heart

North Jersey’s best defensive catcher is also its best hitter. Shadek hit 12 homers this season for the three-time defending Bergen County champs while being walked over 30 times. She has committed to Duke.

Boys Tennis: Ajay Kartik, Northern Highlands

Seeded among the top four in the state, Kartik reached the state singles final and finished as the state runner-up. He also guided the Highlanders to the North 1, Group 3 sectional final. Kartik has been ranked among the top 200 recruits in the country throughout his high school career. The Bergen County singles champion is a four-star recruit and has committed to Emory.

Boys Track, presented by Boundless Adventures: Raynier Galvez, Passaic Tech

Galvez became the first Passaic Tech boy to ever earn gold in the 55-year history of the New Jersey State Meet of Champions with his dramatic win in the 800 meters earlier this month. He went 5 for 5 in major 800s, including his second Passaic County title and first Group 4 state crown after a series of near-misses both indoors and outdoors in past seasons. He also anchored PCTI to a medal in the Meet of Champions 4×400 relay in a school record time.

Girls Track, presented by Boundless Adventures: Gina Certo, Holy Angels

The only things that have eluded Certo in her brilliant career are a State Meet of Champions title and a Bergen County record. Both appear to be in her future. Certo finished second in the most recent State Championship at 400 meters, running a sizzling 54.70 seconds, just .02 off of the 31-year-old mark set by Dana Riley of Texas, who went on to win an NCAA title. Certo also performed well at 100 and 200 meters, ran a tremendous leg on the Angels 4×100 Non-Public A title and led off Holy Angels’ Bergen County championship 4×400 relay.

Boys Volleyball: Matthew Peralta, Hackensack

The senior middle blocker is a repeat choice as Boys Volleyball Player of the Year, as he was the best player on North Jersey’s best team. He led the Comets to their first official Bergen County Tournament title and a 29-2 record, with the only losses coming to North Group 3 champ Scotch Plains-Fanwood. Peralta posted career highs in kills, blocks, digs and aces, and his 310 kills this spring gave him 813 for his four-year career.

Boys Cross Country: Luke Pash, Ridgewood

Pash had a breakout junior year for the Maroons and became just the fifth North Jersey boy to qualify individually for the Nike Cross Nationals, where he finished 33rd in a field of more than 200. The Bergen County and two-time sectional champion finished third in Group 4, leading the Maroons to a runner-up finish, and placed seventh in the Meet of Champions, leading Ridgewood to a third-place finish, its highest since 1992. He also came within one second of running the fastest Bergen County time ever at the state course at Holmdel County Park.

Girls Cross Country: Christina Allen, River Dell

Allen completed one of the finest cross-country careers in North Jersey history by winning the Bergen County Meet of Champions and state sectional Group 2 championship for the first time. The senior won six major races this year, including her fourth straight Big North divisional title. In four years, she won 18 of 33 major races and finished in the top three of all but three of them. Allen will run for the University of Cincinnati next year.

Field Hockey: Krista Lilienthal, Pompton Lakes

Lilienthal has cornered the market on this award, as this is the third consecutive year she’s won it. And she has another year left. She scored more than 40 goals for the third straight season, broke 100 points for the second straight year, and led Pompton Lakes to a third consecutive Passaic County title. She guided the Cardinals to a 17-3-1 record this past season and a three-year record of 56-8-1. She is one of the best field hockey players to ever come out of North Jersey, and Krista expects to do great things in the Garden State for years to come, as she’s committed to Rutgers.

Gymnastics: Avery Lauterback, Emerson

Emerson doesn’t field a gymnastics team but that didn’t keep Lauterback from representing her school proudly as an independent gymnast. The junior won the all-around championship at the Bergen County meet and repeated as Section 1 champion with a score of 37.5. At sectionals, she won the title in both the floor exercise and uneven bars.

Girls Tennis: Kay Considine and Zoe Han, Tenafly

Considine and Han paired up to make history in their senior tennis season at Tenafly. They became the first North Jersey girls to win the NJSIAA doubles championship – and they became the second duo from their school to capture a state doubles crown, joining 2005 boys tournament winners Alex and Ben Lee. Considine and Han also took home the Bergen County championship at first doubles and finished the season with an 18-1 record.

Girls Volleyball: Taylor Miller, Demarest

Miller proved to be a dominant force for Demarest volleyball, and not just at the net. The 6-foot-2 senior middle led the state with 414 kills, helped the back-row defense with 196 digs and served 50 aces. After leading the Norsewomen to the 12th NJSIAA title in program history, she was named Gatorade New Jersey Volleyball Player of the Year, and she has a full scholarship to play at Marist.